Chapter 397: Lightning Didn’t Fall From the Sky – (End)

Hoo… I’m back

This time, it took a while.

It was trickier since he actually knew the truth but was forcing himself to ignore it.

If my body hadn’t been protected all this time, who knows what would have happened?

No, that’s not it.

This, too, is a seed I’ve sown.

The reason people should accumulate virtue in their lives was proven by my survival today.

Well then, time to get up—

“…Who dares?”

Before I could get up, a chilling voice that pierced straight to the bone rang through the surroundings.

While I lay on the ground, Tyr slowly approached me.

“You would not only seek to harm me, but destroy everything I love? Are you trying to sever me from the world in that way yet again? Who dares—“

In Tyr’s eyes, I must have looked pitiful.

My torn clothing barely covered the hastily healed wounds on my back and bloodstains were splattered all around.

The Progenitor’s solemn fury threatened to shake the entire land.

It felt too awkward to just get up and reveal that I was fine when she had come all this way out of concern.

Wait a minute.

Am I actually fine?

I think I might be in pain…

Tyr’s arrival was like the coming of night—dark, still, and absolute.

As she appeared, the Cloud Waterfall turned black, and the chaotic battlefield stilled.

The three Elders who had been committing a massacre all simultaneously halted, gazing at her like sunflowers turning toward the sun.

Just before they could approach her in awe, the Regressor shouted a sharp warning.

“Tyrkanzyaka! Be careful! The Camarilla stabbed Hughes!”

…?

What is she talking about?

That came out of nowhere.

I mean, it’s not entirely unreasonable.

Right now, the person closest to me holding a sword is Hilde.

But why would she jump to that conclusion?

When someone states something so confidently, people naturally begin to question if it’s true.

As Tyr strode forward, Hilde, startled, quickly tried to clear her name.

“No, no, that can’t be right! ‘I’ would never stab Father! It was the Thunderarch who stabbed him!”

“What? Why would Elkid stab Hughes?”

“Didn’t I tell you? She’s with the Crusaders!”

At that moment, Valdamir released the Thunderarch.

Since the Regressor’s claim that Tyrkanzyaka was coming turned out to be true, he refrained from acting recklessly and let her go.

Of course, he only did so because he was confident he could recapture her at any time.

That gave the Regressor another chance to see the Thunderarch.

With the wings of lightning flaring behind her as she steadied herself, she looked so much like an angel.

Anyone with strong faith could become part of the Crusaders.

Those with unique abilities and nowhere else to turn often fell into faith more easily.

The Thunderarch’s initial warmth toward the Regressor was likely a natural progression.

Even if she wasn’t aware of it, the Regressor gave off an aura that seemed connected to the Saintess.

“That’s not a reason to stab Hughes. Even if Elkid is with the Crusaders, why would she attack him?”

But the Regressor was still missing the last piece of the puzzle.

She had overlooked it because she had seen the future firsthand, and I had deliberately kept it hidden.

“Because Father is the King of Humans. A remnant of barbarism that the Sanctum and the Saintess utterly despise.”

“…What?”

Ah… I’ve been found out.

Honestly, I did well to keep it hidden this long.

I made sure never to even think about it when the Regressor was around.

The Regressor had been trying to separate the two ideas in her mind, but the King of Sin was undoubtedly the King of Humans.

And she’s trying to stop the King of Sin.

That means… I am her target.

If she realizes that I am the King of Humans, she will become a relentless pursuer, an unstoppable force that will transcend time itself to hunt me down.

That’s not very ideal.

So I had been especially cautious not to let her find out.

But now… It’s impossible to keep hiding.

Great.

Another reason to stay down.

I pretended to remain unconscious, ignoring the Regressor’s gaze.

“Wait. Why…? No, even if that’s true, why did you betray me?!”

“It’s obvious if you think about it for a moment. Now, let me explain it in a way even the foolish Shei can understand.”

Tyr knelt beside me.

Hilde, as if shifting gears, approached the Regressor and folded her fingers one by one like she was explaining something to a child who could only understand with gestures.

“‘I’ wanted something similar to you. There was no need for us to fully reveal ourselves or cooperate completely. As long as the unknown remained hidden, you did what you had to do, and ‘I’ did what was best for the Military State. Since I owed you a debt, I was willing to maintain that level of cooperation. However…”

The one who betrayed first was undoubtedly Hilde.

She had sown discord between the Regressor and Tyr, and upon realizing Claudia’s connection to the Crusaders, she had summoned the vampires.

To Hilde, who had already forsaken the Sanctum once, the vampires probably seemed like more attractive allies.

She had turned on the Regressor for her own benefit and for the sake of her nation.

But was she the only one who had been betrayed?

“You were never going to be ‘my’ strength. The Military State never meant anything to you. So, ‘I’ had to discard you eventually. If offering up you, the Military State’s enemy, as a sacrifice allowed me to secure an alliance with the Duchy of Mist, that would be a profitable deal for me! Like selling off a useless burden for a good price.”

From the beginning, Hilde had always been loyal to the Military State.

That was why she followed the Regressor into the Fallen Dominion—to gather intelligence and orchestrate events in favor of her homeland.

Hilde, who could play any role, only truly cared about two things: the Military State and the Saintess Yuel.

Everything else was disposable.

“Just for that…?”

“‘Just for that’?”

Hilde’s tone turned sharp as she stared at the Regressor.

“Shei, none of us can ever trust each other. Not just me—everyone here. Trust is… something that can be overturned at any moment, based on feelings alone. Can you truly, blindly believe in the Saintesses or their prophecies? The very people who, more than anyone, know how to manipulate faith?”

While Hilde was facing off against the Regressor, Tyr, who had placed my head on her lap, slowly traced my face with her pale fingers.

Her expression was filled with worry and sorrow.

Sigh, I guess there’s no helping it.

I don’t know if I can sort this whole mess out, but if I keep lying here, the situation will only get worse.

Might as well get up and start working on fixing things…

“…Hu.”

Anyone would think I was dying from the way she’s acting.

I’m just taking a short nap, so don’t be so dramatic.

That’s what I tried to say, but no words came out.

I was still lying there with my eyes closed, seeing only the image of Tyr looking down at me.

And yet, I saw that sight through her own gaze.

Wait… my voice didn’t come out?

Damn.

Was it because I was impaled and left unattended for too long?

My mind is conscious, but my body won’t move.

No way… was it not just a simple stab wound?

The strangest thing is that I’m still aware.

I’m not pulling some kind of trick where I think while unconscious.

No… this is something else.

It must be the power of the Divine that I just awakened.

My consciousness is persisting, even when my body isn’t functioning.

I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.

“…Lunken. Kavila. Valdamir. Heed my order.”

Tyr’s voice was quiet, barely carrying beyond a few steps.

Yet, the Elders reacted with intense fervor.

“Haaah!!”

“YES, SISTER! Just give the word!”

“I shall obey your command.”

Lunken thumped his chest hard, Kavila clasped her hands together tightly, and Valdamir bowed deeply.

Each expressed their utmost reverence, awaiting the Progenitor’s decree.

They did not wait long.

Tyr’s voice was cold and merciless.

“They are the dregs of the Sky God. Erase them. Leave not a single drop of blood behind.”

“I obey—!”

“Of course! Everyone… I’ll kill Every last one of them!!”

“…As you command.”

The Elders did not hesitate for a single moment.

Immediately, they moved to carry out the Progenitor’s will.

If they had been fighting for enjoyment before, now it was duty—a sacred duty.

No matter the means, they would annihilate every last remnant of the Sky God’s influence from this land.

The Regressor foresaw the disaster and shouted.

“Tyrkanzyaka!! Stop!!”

｢If the Elders fight under Tyrkanzyaka’s darkness, they’ll be free to slaughter even in daylight. Claudia will be destroyed! And more than anything, the most dangerous one right now is—｣

Her tense gaze instinctively turned to Valdamir.

Crimson Duke Valdamir.

Until now, he had been watching the events unfold.

But now that the Progenitor had given an order, he would become the most efficient and unstoppable killing machine among the Elders.

Lunken was reckless, and Kavila was cruel, but Valdamir was in an entirely different league.

How did humanity come to dominate the surface world?

How did they subjugate even the strongest beasts, overcome plagues and calamities, and thrive?

Valdamir embodied that answer.

A perfect understanding of overwhelming power, wielded with precision to accomplish his purpose—the Progenitor’s foremost and sharpest blade.

A blade is not heavy, nor is it evil. It is simply sharp.

Valdamir was sharp.

And that made him dangerous.

He had to be stopped.

It was difficult, but in this moment, the only person here who could stop him was the Regressor.

Valdamir slowly lowered his greatsword. The Regressor turned towards him.

｢I might die, but… there’s no choice! No one else here can stop Valdamir…!｣

“Shei. ‘I’ am speaking. Please, focus on ‘me.’”

A blade of light suddenly stabbed deep into her.

There had been no warning, but Heavenly Counter Domain reacted first.

The Regressor bent backward to dodge, instinctively moving to counterattack.

But in that instant, Hilde had already slipped in close.

She pressed her wrist against the Regressor’s, using a reverse grip on her Holy Sword to slash repeatedly.

The blade of light became a flurry, cutting at the Regressor’s arm and torso dozens of times in an instant.

Sparks flew as their weapons clashed.

Chun-aeng met the Holy Sword head-on.

The synergy between the Regressor’s Heavenly Counter Domain and her weightless blade was incredible, allowing her to block every one of Hilde’s rapid strikes.

After a brief pause to steady herself, the Regressor swung with all her might.

Whether Hilde lived or died didn’t matter—she had to finish this quickly and get to Valdamir.

She sent out an invisible slash imbued with enough force to cleave a mountain in two.

Hilde moved to deflect with her short sword, but when facing overwhelming force, shorter weapons were at a disadvantage.

Even with Qi, warriors preferred longer weapons for a reason.

But at that moment, the Holy Sword shifted.

The previously short blade extended, its hilt and edge growing longer in an instant.

In the briefest flash of faith, the Holy Sword transformed from a dagger into a longsword, smoothly catching the Regressor’s strike.

“The Holy Sword… changed shape?!”

The radiant blade bent, dispersing the force of the impact.

It was far too refined to have been conjured on the spot.

The Regressor was astonished—she had never seen anything like it in all her regressions.

The Holy Sword was a weapon forged from one’s faith.

Only those with unwavering devotion to the Sky God could manifest it, and it was imbued with Holy Power to smite evil.

Because of that, the Holy Sword was always accessible, and as long as that faith remained unshaken, it would also remain unchanging.

That was how it was supposed to be.

“‘I’ told you, didn’t ‘I’? ‘Faith’ is something that can change this easily.”

Hilde’s Holy Sword was both a longsword and a dagger.

It was a scythe, and a spear.

As she played her role, faith shaped itself to match.

Faith was not eternal.

It was inherently subjective.

The Sky God’s power did not distinguish between the ultimate deception and the ultimate truth.

So if her faith could change its form, could it truly be called false?

Perhaps every role Hilde played was real in its own way.

Or perhaps, from the very beginning, the faith of humans was nothing more than an illusion.

The two Holy Swords shifted endlessly as Hilde relentlessly drove the Regressor back.

The Star General Camarilla was repaying the Regressor’s attempt to buy time with a delay of her own.